Unusual headquarters of an architectural studio with a rock garden in China
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22 Dec 2022
While working on the office of his Pig Design bureau, architect Li Wenqiang decided not to restrain his imagination. There is a fur study in honor of the red cat, a garden with a pond for meditation and a round sofa for meetings
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Pig House — the office of the Chinese architectural bureau Pig Design — is located in one of the historical districts of Hangzhou. Its owner, architect Li Wenqiang, has been looking for a suitable place for his headquarters for a long time, so that it would not look like the faceless interiors of office premises. Finally, he chose a small mansion with its own quiet courtyard and garden.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
The building was built in the 1990s, the architects decided to change the blind facades of that time with the help of panoramic windows. They help to blur the boundary between internal and external space and connect architecture and landscape.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
The architects did not rebuild the house itself — in addition to replacing the facades, only a small internal redevelopment was done, but the courtyard underwent major changes. This became the most difficult part of the project.
A path strewn with black gravel leads from the gate across the yard to the house. The architects changed the landscape of the site, making it more relief and picturesque. In the center there is a shallow pond in the shape of a ring — with an inner and outer circle. Giant stones placed in the pond, along the path, against the wall and on the lawn, denote the symbolic union of the main natural elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Air.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Inside the two-storey mansion there is an office of an architectural bureau, a conference room, a tea room, a dining room and a studio. The former layout with cramped rooms and a network of corridors was replaced with a freer, full of air. A lot of daylight gets inside through the large panoramic windows.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
In the reception area at the entrance there are tables made of rough stone, which repeat the rough texture of the stones of the courtyard. In the main hall, a round meeting area with upholstered seats has been made, which is sunk 1 meter into the floor — the shape of the sofas repeats round lamps on the ceiling and refers to circles in the pond in the courtyard. Every part of the office is in harmony with each other. Black and white paints combine original furniture and art objects created by Pig Design architects.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
There is also a "Fur House", which serves as Li Wenqiang's personal office. The inspiration for this unusual solution was Orange, a red cat living in the studio. "The cat appeared in our studio in 2017, and since then I have been taking care of him. He grew up with the bureau and became fat as a pig, which is why we named our sprawling studio Pig Design," the designer laughs.
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
Photo
Qi Shuoqian
